


but i'd marry you with paper rings (you're the one i want)

by thenewromantics



Category: Dawson's Creek
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Missing Moments, kind of, no regrets, yeah i'm out here writing dawson's creek fanfiction in 2020, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25852921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenewromantics/pseuds/thenewromantics
Summary: “And you know, if it doesn’t work out and Dawson doesn’t want to run off into the sunset with you so you can spend the rest of your lives watching PG movies and holding hands, I’ll marry you.”or, the five times pacey asks joey to marry him + the one time she asks him.
Relationships: Joey Potter/Pacey Witter
Comments: 13
Kudos: 160





	but i'd marry you with paper rings (you're the one i want)

**Author's Note:**

> so um hello...long time no see when it comes to writing fanfiction. it's been 4 months since i've written anything and now i'm coming back to write a fic for a fandom that basically doesn't exist anymore, it's fine. i spent may of my time in quarantine binging all 6 seasons of dawson's creek and pacey and joey are the best ship of all time, so this is my tribute to them. 
> 
> enjoy!

“Y’know, Jo, if you take a picture, it’ll last longer.” 

Almost reflexively, she feels her entire body tense and she closes her eyes, groaning. When she opens them, a Pacey Witter sized mass is taking up her field of vision and she resists the urge to pretend like she doesn’t see or hear him and turn around and walk the other way down the hallway. 

However, since it’s Pacey and she can’t hold it in, she instead rolls her eyes and retorts, “I have absolutely no idea what it is that you’re referring to.” 

Sure, it’s not the best comeback she’s ever snapped at him, but cut her some slack, he caught her off guard. Pacey seems to relish in her lack of wittiness, an amused grin appearing on his face and Joey wants nothing more than to reach over and strangle him, but she holds back. 

“Oh, c’mon now, Jo, you’re not exactly being subtle. Luckily for you, our dear ol’ pal Dawson is far too oblivious and wrapped up in his conversation with Miss. Lindley over there to feel your laser eyes boring into his back.” Pacey shrugs and moves to stand next to her, and Joey feels the familiar heat of embarrassment and annoyance run up and down her spine. 

“I was not staring.” She finally says and she pretends she doesn’t see the amused smirk that Pacey sends her way. “You’re absolutely insufferable.” 

Pacey snorts, shaking his head. “Oh, Josephine, you know that you love me.” 

“Actually, I despise you.” She spits back, not necessarily meaning it. Truthfully, Pacey is one of the few people at this school who she actually can tolerate, but she would never give him the satisfaction of knowing that. 

He laughs again, a full, head thrown back laugh before touching her shoulder. “You know, Joey, one of these days you’re gonna have to do something about this weird obsession you have with him.” For the first time during their conversation, his words aren’t laced with their usual sarcasm, which surprises her. 

“I do not have an obsession with him.” She says, not nearly as convincing as she wishes she was. She hates how much Pacey can see right through her, he’s one of the only people who can and usually he’s the only one who will call her out. “I just think that him and Jen aren’t very well matched, that’s all.” 

Her eyes float back down the hallway where Jen and Dawson are still talking, heads close together. Dawson has a wide smile on his face and Jen keeps touching his shoulder, her smile easy and bright and it makes Joey’s stomach twist. 

“And you think he would be better off with say, you, right?” Joey’s head snaps back to Pacey, eyes narrowed and mouth in a thin line. He merely smiles at her, shoulders shrugging ever so slightly. “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, but honestly Jo, I think your life would be so much easier if you just did something about it instead of moping around and staring at the guy.” 

Her eyebrows rise, skeptical to believe that Pacey would be giving her actual advice. Sure, they’ve been friends, or at the very least sparring partners, for almost ten years now, but Pacey’s never really been one that she goes to in a crisis. 

“And what exactly would you propose I do in this situation, oh wise one?” 

“Oh, I don’t know, you could start with maybe, and I’m just spitballing here, telling the guy how you feel.” 

Her body tenses and she nervously looks back to Dawson, whose hands are on Jen’s waist as they continue to whisper to each other. It’s like the rest of the world, Joey very much included, don’t exist. 

“I’m sure that would be a great conversation. When exactly should I slip that little nugget of information in, after he’s done telling me how great and wonderful Little Miss Big Apple is? Or maybe before he details his plans on how he’s going to convince her to sleep with him.” Her tone is clipped and Pacey eyes her weirdly. 

“Look, Jo, all I’m saying is that the last thing that you want is to live with some kind of weird regret. If you never say anything you’ll always blame yourself.” He shrugs and Joey is taken aback by his genuine advice. 

However, he ruins it almost immediately by opening his mouth again. “And you know, if it doesn’t work out and Dawson doesn’t want to run off into the sunset with you so you can spend the rest of your lives watching PG movies and holding hands, I’ll marry you.” 

Joey’s pretty sure she’s never scoffed so loudly in her life. “Excuse me?” 

“Yeah, I mean, it would be a total consolation prize type deal and I know it would make us absolutely miserable, but you’re not half bad and lord knows no woman is ever going to want to make an honest man out of me, so what do you say, Jo? Twenty years from now, you and me?” 

“I think you’ve been sniffing too much glue.” She says, crossing her arms across her chest. Pacey is delusional if he thinks she would ever consider marrying him. Sure, he’s one of the cuter guys at Capeside, and he’s definitely one of the funniest, but that hardly means he’s anywhere close to the top of her list of desired romantic partners. 

A list that at this point in her life only has one name on it, a fact that Pacey seems to be very much aware of. God, she hates him. 

“Ouch, Potter, you really know how to bring a guy down, huh. Is this how you treat all your potential suitors?” The amused smirk on his face is back and Joey feels a sense of relief knowing their familiar banter hasn’t been lost in the weird turn their conversation has taken. 

“Only the undesirable ones.” She says, returning his smirk. 

The bell rings and Pacey knocks her with his elbow. “You know, you’re never gonna find another guy like me, someone willing to put up with you and all your complicated girl emotions, so I expect that disgusted non answer to turn into a yes in no time.” 

Rolling her eyes, Joey pushes him so they can go to their shared history class. “In your dreams.” 

“You have no idea, Josephine.” 

* * *

“And for the nine hundredth time, that’s the difference between cosines, sines and tangents. Do you get it now?” 

“...” 

Joey slaps his chest, hard, and huffs. “Are you even listening to me?” 

With a wince, Pacey groans as he rubs his chest with one hand, holding the other one up in surrender. “I don’t know why you’re asking, you know that I wasn’t.” 

“Pacey.” Joey whines, crossing her arms across her chest. “Remind me again why I’m doing this for you if you’re not even going to listen to me.” 

“Honestly, Jo,” He pauses, eyeing her, “I don’t even really know why we’re still doing these study sessions, because I thought they were in exchange for those dance classes, which we stopped going to months ago.” 

Rolling her eyes, Joey shakes her head at him. “Fine, if you wanna fail math, by all means go right ahead.” She smirks at him. “But, if you’re going to come over here every single day, you might as well let me help you with your homework because otherwise you’re gonna have to learn to entertain yourself.” 

A snort interrupts them from the kitchen, and Pacey and Joey both turn to locate the source. 

“Oh, don’t stop on my account.” Bessie says with a knowing smile on her face as she pours herself a glass of iced tea. “But you might wanna tone it down before the guests start complaining about the old married couple arguing in the living room.” 

Pacey lets out a laugh, ignoring the look that Joey gives him. He also is trying incredibly hard to hide the blush that’s creeping up the back of his neck. Joey doesn’t seem to notice, too busy rolling her eyes. 

“An old married couple?” She asks with a quirk of her eyebrow. “What on earth are you talking about?” 

“The two of you bicker like you’ve been married for years, the only things missing are the wedding rings and grey hairs.” Bessie gives a small shake of her head, the amused grin still on her face, giving them one more look before leaving the room. 

As soon as Bessie disappears from view, Joey scoffs, running her hand through her hair. “Can you believe that she would say that?” 

Pacey tries to ignore the way his stomach sinks at the sheer disbelief in her tone, like the idea of being married to him is completely unheard of. Instead, he leans forward on his knees and brings his hand to his chin. 

“I don’t know, Potter, I think we’d make a pretty great old married couple.” 

Joey’s eyebrows practically jump into her hairline as she looks at him. “Are you out of your mind? Pacey, we would never make it to being an old married couple because we would kill each other.” 

“Oh, c’mon Jo, have a little faith. I think we could make it to at least fifty and still both have our heads.” 

“I think you’re giving us a little too much credit.” Joey says, directing her attention back to her homework. “The two of us can barely make it through an afternoon of studying without nearly strangling each other.” 

Pacey sighs, opening his textbook. “Well, we’ve been doing a pretty good job of it so far, right?” Joey gives him a look, and Pacey doesn’t know why he’s pushing it, but it’s  _ Joey _ , and when it comes to her, pushing buttons is kinda his thing. “I mean, as we already established we’ve been doing this little studying shindig for months now and we’ve managed to both survive thus far.” 

Joey rolls her eyes, an amused smile taking over her features. “I think marriage is a little different than afternoon study sessions there, Pace.” She teases, knocking him with her knee. 

The contact sends a shiver up his spine, and not for the first time Pacey curses the effect that this woman has on him. 

“Eh, details, details.” He waves his hand, causing Joey to giggle. “Either way, I don’t think anyone can deny that we make a great team.” 

Joey smiles at him then, a bright illuminated smile that reaches her eyes and it makes Pacey’s heart thump wildly against his ribs. “You’re ridiculous.” She says, her voice teasing and free of malice. 

“Ridiculous I may be, but you’re the one who lets me sit on your couch every day.” Pacey says, sending her a smirk when she jokingly glares at him. “Which kinda makes us already halfway married.” 

“Do you think that all married people do is sit around on a couch all day?” 

Pacey shrugs, flipping a page dramatically in his textbook, which he hasn’t actually looked at in hours. “It’s what my parents do, granted they don’t have the healthiest of marriages…” 

“You think?” 

Ignoring her, Pacey continues, “But, they seem to be happy enough, so you know maybe we could get married and sit on a couch all day, that doesn’t sound like a terribly awful life.” Leaning towards her, he slings his arm around her shoulder, grinning at the way she relaxes into his touch. “So, how about it Jo, you, me, the rest of our lives, this couch?”

“Pacey.” Joey says, looking at him, an amused look on her face. “Are you propositioning me?” 

“That depends, are you saying yes?” He grins and Joey elbows him lightly, but he notes that she doesn’t pull away from him. “Because honestly Jo, I think we could get a good thing going, and be well suited for old age in no time.” 

“Why do I get the feeling you want to skip right to old age so you can sit on your ass all day and expect me to do everything for you?” 

Pacey laughs, shaking his head. “Oh, so you were reading between the lines, good for you Potter, glad we’re on the same page here.” 

She elbows him again, this time harder and she pulls away from him. He would have been hurt, but he could see the smile on her face so he feels himself smile. “I hate you.” Her tone totally gives her away though, and he, too, can read between lines. 

“Love you too, Potter.” 

* * *

She was teetering on the edge of sleep, her eyes heavy and her body lax when his lips pressed against the skin of her shoulder and his voice broke through the comfortable silence. 

“We should get married.” 

The exhaustion she had previously felt just moments ago seemed to disappear in seconds and she turned, rather awkwardly she might add as he failed to loosen his grip around her midsection. Not that she wanted him too, but it did make it harder for her to look at him in disbelief. 

“Excuse me?” She feels the amusement sprinkled in her tone and of what she can see of his face, his lips are quirked and even in the darkness of his bedroom, she can see the light in his eyes. 

“You heard me.” He says, squeezing her waist. “I mean, we’re both eighteen, it’s not like we’d be doing anything wrong.” 

Joey’s eyebrows crinkle together and she struggles to understand if he’s being completely serious or not. Her stomach dips ever so slightly, and she isn’t sure what the emotion is that she’s feeling. 

“We’re also still in high school.” She notes, giving him a pointed look. He shrugs, rather awkwardly as his arms are still wrapped around her. 

“Details, details.” He says with a sigh, kissing her shoulder again. She can’t help but laugh, shaking her head slightly, that oh so familiar bubble of affection for him forming inside her. 

“So, pray tell, because I absolutely must know, what exactly brought on this idea?” She still can’t tell if he’s being completely serious or not, but she surprises herself by not being scared by the idea. Sure, they are in high school, but she can easily see herself marrying him, if not now then at some point in the future. 

Joey felt him smile against her skin, “Well, I love you, obviously.” 

“Obviously.” She echoed, blushing slightly. 

“But also, I was thinking, if we were married, then neither one of our older sisters could tell us that we need to spend the next however many nights in our own houses instead of together.” 

Scoffing, Joey reached behind her and landed a soft smack on his shoulder. “You want to get married to me so that we can have sex every night? You’re such a horndog.” 

“And yet you considered marrying me regardless, what does that say about you?”

“Who says I was considering it?” She teases, looking over her shoulder to smirk at him. He grins impishly at her, playful dancing across his face. “Who is to say that I wasn’t contemplating running immediately for the hills?”

Pacey chuckled, chin resting on her shoulder, “Well, I would actually appreciate that seeing as you don’t have any clothes on so....”

“Like I said, you’re such a horndog.” 

“And yet you love me anyway, regardless of my horndog tendencies.” He said, a softness coming into his tone, causing Joey to grin. There was something about the way he spoke when he talked about the love they shared that made her weak in the knees. 

She didn’t know what she did to deserve this boy, and she was half tempted to say yes to his rather hasty and not well thought out proposal. “I do in fact love you, god knows why.” She teased, unable to help herself. 

“Watch it, Potter.” Pacey muttered, leaning over and pressing his lips against hers. She melts, as she  _ always _ does, and she’s pretty sure she could do this for the rest of her life. “Or I’ll rescind my extremely romantic marriage proposal.” 

She smirks against his lips, which are hovering over hers, teasingly, “Ah yes, you’re a regular romance savant, proposing to a girl while you’re naked in bed for the sole purpose of being able to have more sex.” 

“You say that like that’s not a perfectly valid reason to get married, I mean people have gotten married for way less valid reasons.” 

Joey pursed her lips, nodding. “That’s true, you could have been asking me to marry you because I’m pregnant and we live in a town where the only thing more looked down upon than teenage pregnancy is teenage pregnancy out of wedlock.” 

“You’re not trying to tell me something are you?” Pacey asked, eyebrow quirked at her. Joey rolled her eyes, playfully kicking him under the covers. “Hey, no need to resort to violence, I was merely asking a question.” 

“Pace, I know you might not have totally paid attention during health class, but we’ve only been having sex for two weeks, even if I was, it has not been long enough.” 

He didn’t answer her, instead he kissed her again, adjusting his body against hers and pulling her towards him. Her heart fluttered and her stomach swooped and Joey, not for the first time, felt like she was floating on cloud nine. 

“Pace.” She whispered when they pulled apart, Pacey’s forehead resting against hers. “I love you.” He smiled and she pressed a kiss to his chin, his eyebrow and the apple of his cheek. “So, on the subject of the whole marriage thing...ask me again in ten years?” 

He grinned and Joey had never been more sure of the fact that she was never going to love another person the way she loved him. She knew it should terrify her, being so sure of something so permanent at eighteen, but instead it brought her a strange sense of peace. Maybe it was the fact that she was so unsure of so many parts of her future, that being sure of something felt right and good. 

“As you wish, Miss Potter. And I’ll make sure we’re in the exact same positions when I ask you again.” 

“Pervert.” She muttered as his lips went to her neck, hovering above her collarbone, and she knew there wouldn’t be much more conversing after this. 

“Prude.” And that was the end of that. 

* * *

While her other senses were immediately assaulted by the noise, smell and taste of a dive bar at ten o’clock on a Tuesday night, her eyes zoomed in on him as soon as she walked through the door. He was exactly where Emma had said he would be, at a high top table in the corner near the jukebox, decidedly alone. 

“Hey, thanks for coming.” Joey’s eyes snapped towards the voice next to her, smiling at Emma, who had appeared at her side. “I hope it wasn’t super inconvenient for you to come down here.” 

Joey shook her head, a small, albeit slightly forced, smile on her face. “No, not at all. I’m glad you called me.” 

And she was. In fact, when she had gotten the call from Emma, the first emotion she had felt was guilt. Guilt because it had been weeks since she had actually had a conversation with him, and because she had absolutely no idea what was even going on in his life anymore. At one point, she would have been the first to know anything that was happening with him, and she knew she only had herself to blame for the distance in their relationship. 

“You were the first person I thought of.” Emma said, pausing, and tilting her head. “Well, actually first I called the apartment, wondering if I could catch Jack, but no such luck. Then I thought of you. I would have taken care of him myself, but I’m closing tonight.” 

Joey nodded in understanding, giving another tight smile. “Well, thanks, Emma. I’ll make sure he gets home alright.” 

Emma then squeezed her arm before disappearing just as suddenly as she appeared and Joey took a deep breath, focusing on the task at hand, getting him home. She could do that. As she got closer to him, she could see that he had a wry, almost disappointed smile on his face and she gulped, hoping this wouldn’t be too hard. 

“Hey, killer.” She teased as she slid into the seat across from him. 

His eyes snapped up from where he had been looking at the table top, slightly unfocused before they settled on her. The smile on his face shifted into a more genuine one, and the tension in her body released. 

“Joey.” Pacey’s voice was soft and kind and Joey chastised herself for thinking he would be anything but. “What are you doing here?” 

She shrugged, folding her hands on the table. “Oh you know, I was in the area. Saw you sitting in here, figured I could come in and annoy you.” 

He smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. “Yeah, you haven’t done that in a while.” While his tone was playful, the implication of his words were not lost on her. “But I don’t know if I’m up for a battle of brains tonight, Jo.” 

Pursing her lips, Joey nodded, leaning forward on the table. “So, how about I just sit here instead.” 

“You can do that.” He said, taking a swig of his drink. She wasn’t sure if he was really drunk, because by what she could see, he wasn’t acting that much different then he usually did. And honestly, Joey could count the number of times on one hand she had ever seen Pacey drunk before. Sure, she had seen him drink, but the most recent memory of him actually being drunk was the disaster that was Matt Caufield’s anti Valentine’s Day party. 

Joey supposed she could only hope that this night didn’t end the same way. In a jail cell with Pacey yelling at her. 

She knew the last thing he would want to do is talk about it, especially with her, she had known him long enough to know when he wanted to talk and when he didn’t. And this time he definitely did not want to. But, she couldn’t help but notice the similarity between him and her also recently single roommate. 

“You know, Jo, I’m not an idiot.” Pacey says a couple minutes later, drink empty and eyes slightly more unfocused. Joey smirked, eyebrow quirked, resisting the urge to laugh. 

“I’m well aware of that, Pace.” 

He sighed, “Then why do you think I believe that you’re really just here because you happened to be in the neighborhood.” At the sight of her slightly open mouth, Pacey smirks. “Busted.” 

“Ok, fine, you caught me.” Holding her hands up, gave him a smile, desperately reading his face, hoping he wasn’t angry with her. “But before you get too mad, Emma was the one that called me, and she tried to call Jack first.” 

Pacey smiled, looking down at the table before looking at her again. “I’m not mad, Jo.” He said softly. “Promise.” 

She nodded, pushing her hair behind her ear. “Well, good. That’s good.” They shared a small smile. “So, why don’t you let me walk you home. It’s a Tuesday and I know you, mister fancy stockbroker man, have to work tomorrow morning.” 

Pacey eyed her incredulously, “I live across the street.” 

“I’m well aware of that, but I am not going to be able to sleep soundly tonight until I know you’re safely in your bed.” 

They stood up from the table, and Pacey gripped her shoulder. He wasn’t completely leaning on her, but she welcomed the contact, happy to assist him. “You trying to take me to bed, Potter?” 

“In your dreams, Witter.” 

Pacey chuckled, and the two of them made their way through the bar and across the street in relative silence. Pacey was, mainly, able to stand on his own, but he stumbled slightly on the stairs and trying to get through the door, so Joey was glad she walked him home. Lord knows what would have happened to him if she hadn’t. 

“Alright, I know it’s not your bed, but I think I feel safe enough putting you on the couch.” Joey said as Pacey released her shoulder and settled on the couch. He sighed, and rubbed his eyes when Joey flicked the light on. 

“Are you trying to blind me?” He moaned, lying back against the cushions. 

Joey laughed, going to the kitchen and filling a glass of water for him. “Yup, that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.” Setting the glass on the table, she removed his shoes for him, setting them down on the floor next to him. “Do you want me to make you something to eat before I leave?” 

Instead of answering, Pacey grumbled, sinking further back into the couch. Joey took that as a yes and went back to the kitchen, searching for something simple to put together. She quickly located the peanut butter and jelly and the bread, sure, it might pale in comparison to the food Pacey used to cook when he worked at Civilization, but he was drunk and didn’t really have any room to complain. 

“Thanks.” He said softly when she set the plate down next to the now half empty water glass. His voice was soft and sincere and it made Joey smile. His eyes were closed and Joey could see the exhaustion written all over his face and her heart squeezed in her chest at the sight. 

She missed him. With a small sigh, she pushed herself up from the floor and turned to get ready to leave, feeling like her work here was done. 

“We should get married.” 

She stopped. His voice was almost at a whisper and at first she thought she misheard him. With a deep breath, she looked at him, a sudden urge to reach over and push the hair from his forehead rushing through her, which she swallowed down. 

“Pacey, you’re drunk. And in case you forgot, it’s me, Joey.” 

That had to be what happened, he had to think that she was Audrey, or someone else, definitely not her though. Or maybe he was sleeping, talking to some hot model in his dreams. But he was most certainly not talking to Joey, not in the slightest. 

With that, she forced herself to walk away, she didn’t want to know what he was going to say in response, and besides, he probably wouldn’t remember any of it tomorrow, anyway. No harm, no foul. 

So, when she heard him whisper, “I know.” She pretended like she didn’t hear him. 

* * *

The old truck rattled as they drove along the familiar road and Pacey couldn’t help smirking as he looked across the bench seat. 

“Where are we going?” Joey finally asked, she had been looking confusedly out the window for the last ten minutes and Pacey was honestly surprised by how long it had taken her to ask him. 

“I told you that it was a surprise.” He counters, giving her a smile. She rolled her eyes lightly before directing her gaze back out the window. “I promise you’re gonna like it.” 

“Well, are we almost there?” He chuckled, she really was one of the most impatient people he had ever met in his life. And he was completely and totally in love with her. 

He didn’t answer her, however, choosing instead to let her be in the dark for at least a couple more minutes. Pacey hoped that eventually she would figure out where he was taking her, and that she would realize the significance. 

“Pacey…” She said a couple minutes later when he began to slow the truck down, gently pulling over and putting it in park. Her eyes sought him out in the dimming light. The sun was just beginning to set, bathing them in a soft, pink light. 

Pacey didn’t think she had ever looked more beautiful. 

“Have you figured it out yet?” He asked, grinning softly. Not giving her a chance to respond, he opened the door and stepped down from the cab. His heart was racing, and he rubbed his hands together, hoping to dispel some of the nerves. 

“Why did you take me here?” Joey asked as she stepped around the car to stand in front of him. Her arms were crossed across her chest, no doubt a response to the chill in the air. “It’s freezing.” 

He smiled, shaking his head slightly. “Well, because Potter, today is a very special day, a day that I thought deserved to be remembered.” 

Pacey watched as her eyebrows crinkled together ever so slightly, before realization spread across her face, a smile falling onto her lips. “You really brought me all the way out here because, what, nine years ago, this is where you kissed me for the first time?” Her tone was teasing, but the wide grin on her face and the way her eyes were shining told him everything he needed to know. 

“Well, technically, it was actually our third kiss, after that disastrous one when we were seven and the one after our snail hunting adventure, but it was the first one that counted.” Joey giggled and Pacey took a deep breath. 

_ It was now or never. _

“Jo, nine years ago, I pulled over on this very road and kissed you because I was tired of hiding my endlessly growing feelings for you. I think at that point I was already hopelessly in love with you, but that kiss was the moment that changed absolutely everything.” Pacey paused, memorizing the sight of her. Her lips were slightly parted, and she was looking at him like she so often did, with adoration and love in her gaze. He smiled. 

“Y’know, when we were kids, I was always a little jealous of Dawson. Even though all three of us used to hang out and run around Dawson’s yard and play in the creek together, I always wished that you would give me the same attention that you gave him. It’s one of the reasons I used to tease you all the time, it was the only way that I could get you to talk to me.” Joey laughed softly, and Pacey let out a breathy laugh of his own. 

“Pace, the reason I never gave you attention is because all you did was tease me.” 

Pacey rolled his eyes, chuckling. “Yes, Jo, but at eight years old, I simply did not grasp that concept.” 

They shared a smile and Pacey swallowed the lump of emotion that had bundled in his throat. He couldn’t believe how much he loved her, twenty six years old and he knew that there was never going to be someone he loved half as much as he did her. 

“Pacey.” Her voice was soft and she took a step towards him, their noses practically touching. “What are we doing here?” There was a hint of, something, to her words, perhaps disbelief, and Pacey gulped, nerves knotting in the pit of his stomach. 

Taking a deep breath, Pacey stepped back ever so slightly, his eyes staying trained on Joey’s, using the love that was swimming in them as the strength he needed. “I brought you out here Jo, because, while yes, today is the day nine years ago in which I kissed you and thus changed the entire course of not only our lives, but the lives of pretty much everyone else we know. Today is also the day nine years ago in which I realized that for as long as I live I am never going to love someone as much as I love you.

“I know it sounds cheesy and you might not even believe me, but it’s true. I actually think I’ve been at least halfway in love with you since I was six years old, when the entirety of our relationship was me pulling your hair on the playground and you shoving me in the lunch line and Dawson telling both of us to cut it out.” Joey grinned, tears swimming in her eyes and Pacey briefly wondered if she had figured out what he was doing yet. 

She didn’t say anything, though, so he pressed on. “I spent the next ten or so years pretending that I didn’t feel anything, I shoved down all the butterflies I got when you used to grab my arm during scary movies at Dawson’s, and I ignored the goosebumps I got when you laughed at something dumb that I said, and told myself that I only felt all those things because you were the only girl I spent any time with. But, I should have realized that no other girl made me feel anything close to what you did. 

“And when you started dating Dawson and I started dating Andie and I thought that was it. I assumed anything I had ever felt for you was just some silly adolescent crush, formative in my youthful development, but otherwise nothing but a mere blip in the romantic history of Pacey Witter. But, then junior year happened, and we became actual friends, and all those butterflies and goosebumps came rushing back, and this time they brought along an admiration and adoration that has only grown in the last nine years.” 

Pacey paused, taking in Joey’s face. There were light tear tracks running down her cheeks, which were red from the chill in the air, but Pacey thought he could detect a blush in her complexation too. And there was a smile on her face that was the most beautiful thing Pacey had ever laid his eyes on. 

“When we kissed all those years ago, it was the best moment of my life. Then you kissed me back, and that was the best moment of my life. And then you told me you were in love with me and we spent that summer together and I realized that every moment spent with you was going to be the best moment of my life, and nothing and no one was ever going to compare. And that’s not to say we both didn’t try, I know I certainly did, to move on after it all fell apart. Hell, I even fell in love again, but I’ve always known deep down that it was you, Jo.” 

He knew he was rambling and there were about a million other things he wanted to say to her. Like, how strong and beautiful and smart she was and how there was no one in the world he admired more. Like, how when they were middle school, he had wanted to ask her to the dance but was afraid of how Dawson would react. Like, the fact that he had only gone to Boston because he knew that’s where she was going to be and all he cared about was being in the same city as her. 

But, he had the rest of their lives to tell her those things. Right now, there was only one thing left to do. So, not once taking his eyes off of her, Pacey pulled out the box that he had been carrying around all weekend, afraid that if he had left it in his bag or put it somewhere in their room at the b&b that she would stumble across it, and lowered himself down on one knee. 

“Pacey.” Joey’s voice was barely above a whisper. She was looking at him in a way that Pacey didn’t think she had ever looked at him before. Her eyes ablaze with amazement and love and surprise. He smiled. 

“Jo. Potter. Josephine.” She grinned, rolling her eyes slightly. His smile grew, his heart was beating so ferociously, he was afraid he was going to beat out of his chest. But, Joey’s smile gave him the strength he needed to continue. “In my entire life, there are very few things that I have been absolutely sure of. In fact, some might say that I’ve never been sure of anything, but they would be wrong, because I have always been sure about you. 

“Sure, things haven’t always worked out for us, in fact more often than not things haven’t worked out, but that never stopped me from loving you. Sometimes I think that loving you is the only constant that has ever existed in my life. And, god, Jo, do I love you. I love you more than I ever could have thought possible. At one point, I would have never believed that you would ever feel the same way about me, but I guess I did something good in a past life, because you did and you do and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to love you and be loved by you.” 

Joey was crying now, tears falling freely down her face, and while usually the sight of her crying was his least favorite sight, she had a wide smile on her face, and Pacey felt like he already knew the answer to his question. But, he wanted to hear her say it. 

“And while I might not be the most educated, most talented, most creative person in your life and I know that there are things that I’m not good at, I think I’m pretty good at loving you. There aren’t many things that I can promise you, Jo, but I can promise you that I’ll love you until the day I’m dead. So, I guess what I’m trying to say here is that, if you’ll have me, I’d really like to keep loving you.” 

He paused, and Joey nodded, eyes twinkling. The setting sun had bathed the sky behind her in orange and red and pinks so vibrant, and Pacey wanted to take a minute to engrain this image in his memory forever. 

“Joey Potter, will you marry me?” 

There’s a pause. A brief moment in time in which Pacey is down on one knee, the ring he picked out weeks ago reflecting the low hanging sun and Joey is looking down at him, her face frozen in amazement, before she smiles, a giggle escaping her lips. 

“Of course I will, you doofus.” 

Pacey isn’t sure which one of them moves first, but almost instantly she’s in his arms, kissing him like they’ve never kissed before, like they did all those years ago. “You sure, Potter?” He teases, giving her a small smirk when they pull apart. 

She rolls her eyes, and he knows she’s trying to look annoyed even though the impossibly wide smile on her face is totally blowing her cover. His heart glows in his chest and he wonders if any human in the world has ever achieved this level of happiness before. 

“Against my better judgement, Pace, I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure of anything in my life.” Her tone is teasing, but he doesn’t miss the meaning behind her words. “I love you.” She whispers when he presses his forehead against hers. 

“I love you, too. As you probably are well aware of given the nature of my incredibly romantic speech.” Joey laughs, her lips grazing the skin of his cheek and his chin, before she gives him a small frown. 

“I am kind of disappointed in one thing, though.” 

“And what could that possibly be?” 

Joey raises her eyebrows, giving him an amused look. “Did you or did you not promise to me once that we would be in a very different position when you proposed again.” 

A memory flashes in his mind and he chuckles, reaching down to grab her hand, which he’s amazed to discover that at some point during the excitement of kissing and laughter, he did manage to slip the ring on her finger, “Well, then I guess we’ll just have to rectify that, now won’t we?” 

His nose brushes up against hers, his lips graze hers and he gives her a satisfied smirk when he hears her breath catch. 

“I thought you might say that.” She says, a smile on her face, her hand tugging his and pulling him towards the truck before he can respond. Pacey grins, following her, like he always has and like he always will. 

_ Oh yeah _ , he thinks when he starts the truck, cranking the heat, because Joey is shivering next to him, refusing to let go of his hand and curled into his side, not that he’s complaining, obviously,  _ spending the rest of his life like this is definitely something he could get used to.  _

Joey sighs happily, and he feels her smile against the skin of his neck and he knows she agrees. 

* * *

“Hey, Pace.” 

“Hmph.” 

“Pacey.”

“Hmmm.” 

“Are you listening to me?” 

“No, I’m sleeping.” He popped one eye open, a smirk on his lips and Joey groaned, reaching over and giving him a smack on his chest. “Why are you so violent?” 

“Because I’m trying to ask you a question.” She said, frowning at him. He laughed, moving his hand to brush a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Are you going to stop laughing at me?” 

“Probably not.” 

“I hate you.” 

Pacey smiled, and Joey took a moment to admire the way he looked in the grey light of the morning. It made her heart soar, and not for the first time, she was floored by how lucky she was to love him. 

“There is plenty of evidence to the contrary of that fact.” Joey smiled, rolling her eyes at his words, moving closer to him and resting her chin on his chest. “Like this right here, if you hated me, the mere concept of touching me would repulse you.” 

“Ok, fine, maybe I kinda like you.” 

“Good, because I kinda like you too.” 

Capturing her lips in his own, Joey grinned into the kiss, hand gripping his chest and his hand pushing itself into her hair. She sighed, nose nuzzling against his as she pulled away, lips still curled into a wide smile. 

“Hey, Pace. Can I ask my question now?” 

“Didn’t you just ask me one?"

“Ugh, I take by everything I said about liking you, you suck.” Pacey smirked at her, reaching over and squeezing her hip under the covers. “And I swear if the next words out of your mouth are something about how  _ I’m _ really the one who sucks, I will slaughter you.” 

Pacey held a hand up in surrender, tangling his legs with hers. “I didn’t say anything, not a single word.” 

“Ok, good.” 

They shared a smile and Joey loved him so damn much she could explode. “So, what’s your question.” 

“My question is,” She said, a smirk falling on her lips as she hooked her legs around his hips and pushed herself up so she’s hovering above him, “will,” she pressed a kiss against his neck, “you,” a kiss to his check, “marry,” one to his chin, “me?” 

Her lips pressed against his and Pacey laughed softly into the kiss, melting into it before he pulled away. “Now, correct me if I’m wrong,” his lips hovered under hers, giving Joey goosebumps, “but wasn’t that what we did yesterday?”

“Yeah, I think we did do something like that, something about ‘til death do us part, I was wearing white.” 

“Very beautifully I might add.” He said with a smile. “You should do it more often.” 

Joey blushed, it amazed her that after years together he still made her stomach flutter when he said stuff like that to her. “So, are you saying that you’d marry me again?” She teased. 

“Potter, I would marry you every single day for the rest of my life.” 

“Good. Rest of our lives sounds good.” 

Their lips met one more time and Joey smirked, “And Pace?” She whispered, hands pushing into his hair, thumb caressing the skin of his forehead. 

“Yes?” 

“It’s Witter now.” 

He smiled and rolled her over so her back was pressed into the bed, “Oh, Jo, this whole marriage thing is going to be so much fun.” 

Joey beamed knowing that she was never, ever going to not be in love with him, “That’s exactly what I was counting on.” 

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed! lemme know what you think! :)


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